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Smart but not safe: Govt school in Ludhiana has no boundary walls
Recently turned into a smart school at a cost of ₹1.58 lakh, authorities didn’t feel the need to construct a boundary wall
It’s beauty first and safety last at this government school in the city that has been running without a boundary wall for the past 39 years. The government primary school on Punjab Agricultural University campus was recently turned into a smart school at a cost of ₹1.58 lakh, but the authorities didn’t feel the need to construct a boundary wall, which would have gone a long way in ensuring the safety of teachers and students.
School authorities say that under the smart city project, they were instructed to carry out repair works and beautify the campus. “Following the directions, we decorated the classrooms and corridors with educational visuals and also came up with a compost pit. But a boundary wall is a must,” said Amarpreet Kaur, school’s head teacher.
She added that the school authorities having been writing to the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) office and the Unified district information system for education (UDISE) for a three-sided boundary wall for the last 10 years but to no avail.
Another teacher on the condition of anonymity stated, “Ever since the school turned into a smart one, the enrolment has increased but nobody is thinking about the safety of students. Authorities should have sent funds for a boundary wall first and then thought about beautification.”
When contacted, deputy district education officer (DEO, elementary) Kuldeep Singh said, “For the last two years, our district has received no funds from the Centre for construction of boundary walls. However, the school must have used the funds received under the smart school project to construct a boundary wall as they have the authority to spend ₹50,000 for repair works.”
A SINGLE TAP FOR 219 STUDENTS
A visit to the school also revealed that students were drinking water from a single tap installed in the school. For a strength of 219 students, aged between 4 and 9, there is only one tap of drinking water. When asked, regarding the drinking water facilities, the head teacher said, “Only one tap water is available at the moment as the water cooler is under repair.”
